Centenarian Henny Franks celebrated her 103rd birthday together with fellow Holocaust survivors, friends, staff and volunteers. She blew out the candles on her cake at a garden party held by Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors Centre to honour the special occasion. Representatives from AJEX and Chelsea Pensioners joined the celebrations alongside the members of Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors’ Centre, where Henny remains a much-loved and active member.
Adding to the celebrations, AJEX member Paul Bentley surprised Henny with 120 roses. Henny also received a personalised birthday card with original artwork by cartoonist and animator Zoom Rockman and the wider Lemon Soul team who produced Henny, one of eight new animated films celebrating the extraordinary lives of Holocaust survivors in the UK. 
Born in Cologne, Germany on 29 June 1923, Henny was forced to flee Nazi persecution as a teenager. After her family escaped to Belgium following Kristallnacht, Henny and her brother and sister arrived in the UK on the Kindertransport in 1939. Tragically, her father, Jacob Grünbaum, was later deported to Sobibor and murdered. Henny was eventually reunited with her mother in Britain and went on to build a new life in the country that became her home.
Determined to contribute to the war effort, Henny taught herself English and joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service. She served as a driver in a munitions factory in Westcliff-on-Sea and proudly celebrated Victory in Europe Day in uniform amongst the jubilant crowds on Oxford Street. More than eighty years later, her wartime service was recognised nationally when she featured in the Ministry of Defence’s VE Day campaign celebrating veterans Second World War veterans, with her image appearing on a billboard in Leicester Square.
A proud member of AJEX, Henny was reunited with the medals she was entitled to receive for her wartime service on her 100th birthday, thanks to AJEX’s medals campaign. She was presented with her Defence Medal, War Medal 1939–45 and HM Armed Forces Veteran Badge, a proud and emotional moment for Henny, whose service had gone unrecognised for decades.
After the war, Henny resumed life in London as a talented dressmaker, a skill she inherited from her father, who had been a tailor. She met her future husband, Maurice, at a tea dance at the Astoria Ballroom on Charing Cross Road. The pair married in 1957, with Henny creating her own wedding dress, and enjoyed 50 happy years of marriage together while raising their family. Henny has two children and three grandchildren.
Henny’s love of fashion remains as strong today as ever. Last year she took to the catwalk at GIFT’s “Beyond the Label” fashion show, modelling a dress she had made herself and delighting audiences with her confidence, elegance and unmistakable sense of style. Henny was among the standout stars of the show, proving that age is no barrier to living life to the full.
During the birthday celebrations, Francine Liebert, Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors’ Centre Programme Coordinator, shared a heartfelt poem dedicated to Henny, describing her as:
“Stealing the show, the sharpest fashionista you’ll ever know. While others wear slippers and cardigans grey, our Henny is rocking a runway display.”
The poem celebrated Henny’s warmth, friendship and enduring impact on those around her, adding:
“She loves a good natter, a chat and a tea, the brightest spark in the whole of HSC.”
Addressing her friends gathered to celebrate her milestone birthday, Henny paid tribute to the services that mean so much to her, saying:
Reflecting on her remarkable longevity with characteristic humour, she added:
“I’m 103 years old and I don’t look it, but my bones know exactly how old I am! The reason I got old like this is because I belong to the Holocaust Survivors’ Centre – while they’re alive, I’m alive.”
Daniel Carmel-Brown, Chief Executive of Jewish Care, said:
“Everyone who meets Henny is inspired by her warmth, resilience and positivity. She has overcome unimaginable challenges, served this country with pride and continues to enrich the lives of those around her every day. Henny embodies the spirit of our cherished Holocaust Survivors’ Centre community and reminds us all of the importance of friendship, connection and living life with purpose. We are delighted to celebrate her 103rd birthday and wish her every happiness.”
Melanie Gotlieb, Centre and Outreach Coordinator at Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors’ Centre, said,
“Henny is truly one of a kind. She brings joy, laughter and energy wherever she goes, whether she’s sharing memories, enjoying a chat with friends or showing off one of her fabulous outfits. She is loved by everyone at the Centre and her birthday was a wonderful opportunity for us all to celebrate an extraordinary woman who means so much to our community.”
Jacques Weisser BEM was in attendance, a Kindertransport survivor, a fellow member of Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors’ Centre, AJEX Honorary Vice President and former AJEX Chief Executive. Jacques joined representatives from both organisations, flying the flags of Jewish Care and AJEX in honour of the occasion.
“As a fellow survivor and member of the Jewish Care’s Holocaust Survivors’ Centre it was a pleasure, privilege and absolute delight to participate in the joyous celebration of our wonderful Henny’s 103rd Birthday. She is an absolute joy to be with and speaks so passionately about the Holocaust Survivors’ Centre, it’s many activities and the friendships she has built there, as well as her deep affection of AJEX. It was a truly memorable occasion enhanced even more by the presence of two Chelsea Pensioners in full scarlet uniform who had wanted to join the attending AJEX representatives and pay their personal respects to the birthday “girl”
AJEX Chief Executive Fiona Palmer, said,
“We wish Henny the most wonderful year ahead. We are in awe of all she does and her determination. Coming to the UK and serving in the HM Armed Forces as a teenager is hard to imagine and an inspiration. Happy birthday Henny!”